Columns

It takes just a few seconds to rub away the moss hiding the etched words over Margaret Duffy’s tomb. Still legible 140 years after the 15-year-old’s death, the two short sentences echo the cry her parents surely felt. “Behold this grave and shed a tear,” the tombstone requests of passersby. “Beauty and virtue is buried here.”

How much does the Department of Defense waste on overhead and outside contractors? Pentagon officials recently paid an outside consulting firm to find out.

When the consultants put the figure at $125 billion, defense officials were scared Congress would cut their budget. So they tossed the multi-million-dollar report in the trash and hoped no one would find it.

If you’re a female artist of Irish ancestry who couples her HIIT regime with a balance of healthy eating, March is a great month. More than just St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef, and leprechauns, it’s never too late, or early for that matter, to indulge in the less traditional aspect of the history.

As Americans, we are united in the belief that all people have certain inalienable rights. Chief among these are, as President Thomas Jefferson penned, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

At the same time American values are also deeply rooted in a strong sense of community. This sentiment is reflected in our national motto: “E Pluribus Unum,” which means “out of many, one.”

The roar tore through the night air like the wail of a thousand banshees as the Mexican army swarmed toward the walls of the old mission. The cannons barked, spitting blistering fire and heavy iron balls at the Texan defenders atop the battlements of the Alamo.

Religion in public school is an issue that pops up from time to time. Usually, it’s in a letter to the editor or a Facebook post claiming that there would be less bullying and violence if they allowed prayer in school.

Spring break from teaching at U of L falls conveniently during the week of St. Patrick’s Day; which is also my target date for planting onions and potatoes. I typically manage a mid-March planting but the condition of the soil is my primary concern. I will not start digging until the soil dries out and is considered workable.

Perry Countians will mark the 43rd anniversary of the April 1974 outbreak of tornadoes that tore across several U.S. states. Nearly 150 tornadoes killed 319 people that day, including two citizens in Perry County.

Those of us old enough still have vivid memories of that day. Just last week tornadoes struck in nearby counties, including Dubois and Posey counties.

Millions of pieces of man-made debris – space junk – orbit the Earth as I begin to type this column. As your eyes dart from word to word, there are a myriad of objects, from portions of abandoned spacecrafts to tiny paint chips, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour around the planet.

I’m not much into green beer and while I’m a fan of corned beef, I can do without cabbage.

St. Patrick’s Day is still a few weeks away and while lots of us will be wearing green, a lack of Irish heritage doesn’t inspire me to truly celebrate the day like those whose family trees have roots in the Emerald Isle.